Writing a Thesis about AEGEE is becoming a real trend. This shows once again how our network represents an important source of information and inspiration for its members. Today we are meeting Tekla Hajdu (AEGEE-Budapest), Vice-speaker of the Network Commission, who has written a Thesis about AEGEE-Budapest.
The AEGEEan: Could you tell us a bit about you?
Tekla Hajdu: I am Tekla Hajdu from lovely Budapest (smiles). Currently I am doing my Master in Leadership & Management, and I am quite an active AEGEEan as Network Commissioner.
Since when are you officially an ‘AEGEEan’ and why did you join our network?
I am officially a member since October 2012, and I joined because I had a classmate in one of my university classes who told me a lot of interesting stories about AEGEE. At the end, I was so convinced that I decided to check out this organisation myself. And after my first LTC, I was sure that I would like to belong here (smiles).
You wrote a thesis about AEGEE-Budapest. How did you come up with this idea?
As my second major was Business Administration and Management, I wanted to write about a certain organisational situation, analyse the results and draw the conclusions. At first I thought about going for a business enterprise, but in the end, I decided to switch and go with the examination of my local.
What about the main topic you focused on?
My main topic was the structural change of AEGEE-Budapest after Agora Budapest. We had a change in the structure of the Board in 2013: before, the Board consisted of eight people, then the Board at that time with the approval of the Local Agora decreased it to five. The goal was to create middle-level responsible positions to remove the operative task forces from the board, so that they can focus on the strategy and have a more balanced division of labour between the members. In my thesis, I examined the effects of the change and I added some possible fields for development based on the interviews and management literature.
What kind of materials and/or methods did you use to develop your work?
Instead of quantitative methods, I decided to focus on the qualitative aspect of the situation, and used in-depth interviewing. I interviewed several people who were in charge of the structural change or effected by it afterwards – Kristóf Papp, former president of AEGEE-Budapest; Luca Gallyas, the president of AEGEE-Budapest in Autumn 2014, and Beáta Matuszka, former Network and Human Resources Director.
Which were the premises and the results you expected from your thesis?
My biggest expectation was the necessity of the change in the structure, and the development in the career path in my local since that time (my thesis was written in October 2014, and the structural change came into effect from May 2013).
Were your expectations fulfilled?
Yes, most of them were fulfilled, but there were still some interesting conclusions at the end. In general, it was definitely a successful change: now Budapest is more project-oriented, efficient, transparent, plus the mid-level leaders have a „career path”.
Would you suggest to other AEGEEans to write a thesis about our network?
Yes, definitely! If you have chosen a topic that is connected to AEGEE somehow and you feel like it is worth going with it, then do not hestitate. Also, keep in mind that some topics are better processed with qualitative methods – they might look more complex and time consuming, but you can learn more about the subject by digging to the depths.
Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona